Due to advances in computing technology, businesses today are able to operate more efficiently when compared to substantially similar businesses only a few years ago. For example, internal networking enables employees of a company to communicate instantaneously by email, quickly transfer data files to disparate employees, manipulate data files, share data relevant to a project to reduce duplications in work product, etc. Furthermore, advancements in technology have enabled factory applications to become partially or completely automated. For instance, activities that once required workers to put themselves proximate to heavy machinery and other various hazardous conditions can now be completed at a safe distance therefrom.
Further, imperfections associated with human action have been minimized through employment of highly precise machines. Many of these factory devices supply data related to manufacturing to databases (or web services referencing databases) that are accessible by system/process/project managers on a factory floor. For example, sensors and associated software can detect a number of instances that a particular machine has completed an operation given a defined amount of time. Further, data from sensors can be delivered to a processing unit related to system alarms. Thus, a factory automation system can review collected data and automatically and/or semi-automatically schedule maintenance of a device, replacement of a device, and other various procedures that relate to automating a process.
As in other industries that rely on sale of software or data, or in industries that uncontrolled replication of data is undesirable (such as the music industry), piracy is of great concern to industrial environments. Pursuant to an example, the music industry claims to have lost billions of dollars in revenue due to piracy associated with digital music. Similarly, companies that specialize in sale of software have suffered significant loss of potential revenue due to piracy of such software.
To combat such piracy, digital rights management (DRM) systems have become prevalent, wherein rules are programmatically embedded within digital files and a DRM system is utilized to enforce such rules. For instance, a music file may only be playable on a portable media device for a certain amount of time before the user is required to synchronize the portable media device with a personal computer to renew a license. In another example, software keys and registration of software have been utilized in an attempt to mitigate piracy of certain software. Additionally, hardware dongles can be utilized, wherein software runs in a restricted mode or does not run at all unless the dongle is communicatively coupled to a computing device. These dongles can frustrate a user, however, as each time software is desirably run the dongle must be present. Additionally, the dongles are typically fairly small in size, making them easy to lose. Thus, a valid user may not be able to utilize legally purchased software due to loss of a hardware dongle.